Sepsis is a serious medical condition caused by an overwhelming immune response to infection. Despite availability of antibiotics, the mortality and hospitalization of patients with severe sepsis has increased rapidly, causing approximately 200,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. Guoyun Chen, MD, PhD, and his research team are hoping to investigate further and explore treatment options.
An assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), Dr. Chen has received a grant totaling $332,250 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. The award will be distributed over two years to support a project titled, “Sialoside Based Pattern Recognition in Therapy of and Resistance to Septic Shock.”
Dr. Chen and his research team will identify the sialidase response (enzymes that aid in the inflammatory process of sepsis) and develop therapeutic approaches that may lead to novel treatments for patients with sepsis. Their efforts could potentially reduce morbidity and mortality.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is committed to research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. For more information, visit www.niaid.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.